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How to make iPads safe for government? 'Neuter' them.

By Kathleen Hickey

Feb 22, 2013

Mobile devices can add a lot of productivity to enterprises, but how do agencies with sensitive missions protect themselves from devices that can take pictures and easily send out data? One way is to “fix” the devices according to agency requirements.

CACI International, for example, has “neutered thousands” of Apple iPads so they can be securely used by the government, altering the hardware rather than the software, Dan Allen, CACI’s former chief executive officer, recently told Bloomberg. CACI removed the iPad’s cameras, disabled Bluetooth connectivity, and, for highly classified area workers, removed 3G, 4G LTE, and Wi-Fi connectivity, according to a report in the Inquisitr. CACI has also added “strict inventory requirements,” and remote wipe capabilities that would completely erase all data on the iPads.

An increasing number of government agencies are opting for Apple’s iPhones and iPads. Last year, for example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s CIO Office released its Mobile Device Security Policy, allowing mobile devices that can be securely managed through its Unified Messaging Service, including iPhones, iPads and conventional cell phones, while phasing out support for BlackBerry.

Government entities using or opening their networks to iPhones include President Barack Obama, the Defense and Homeland Security departments, and the FBI. Allen noted that President Obama’s devices are “most likely a product that either came from us or came from someone we work with.”

Of course, setting up agency-issued devices is one thing. Managing employees’ personal devices can get more complicated. One approach being developed is using software to limit the range in which devices can access data.

Jules White, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech, has developed a modified Android operating system that can set rules for when employees can access data, what data they can access, whether they can take that data with them, and what other apps they can run at the time.

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Reader Comments

Thu, Mar 21, 2013

Why even buy the iPad or iPhone if you are going to neuter them. What a waste of money, just get a notebook or pad that does not have all that or have someone build you one. It seems that you are just wasting money, when there are so many choices out there that could serve the same purpose. The name "i" etc., does not make them any better then some of the other ones that are out there, in the end it is the results and not the name that counts. How stupid are we becoming when we adhere to peer pressure.